The Importance of Being Discreet

So many times in life we meet people, develop relationships, share dreams, fantasies and secrets and believe that these people we have endeared to our hearts are trustworthy, honest and really care about us. But, how much do we really know each other, even those we invite into our homes, our beds, our lives? How do you decide if this person is deserving of our honesties, our secrets, our discretion?
My mom always said, "treat people as you want to be treated" and that idea has always been the position I have taken when I meet someone. I assume that a person I am dealing with, associating with or relating to feels the same way. That, would be the basis of trust for me. Someone else may see it as naive. They would be right, of course yet I'd like to think that when I meet someone, I can trust them and be completely open with them as much as I would hope they can be the same for me. In other words, I'd like to know that the dreams, fantasies, secrets and acted on impulses that I have shared with another are kept discreet.
Webster's Dictionary describes indiscretion as "something marked by lack of discretion; an act deviating from accepted morality."
Discretion is defined as "A quality of being discreet; power of free decision or latitude of choice."
To be discreet is "to show good judgment or to be capable of observing prudent silence."
Discretion, in any relationship, whether it be in the work place, in a one-night stand, between partners-in-crime, in a committed relationship, between family members, etc... is imperative if we desire to build a bond and a mutual trust in each other. On the other hand, little white lies told in an attempt to hide an indiscretion from a trusted associate, partner, spouse or lover really do hurt (if they are discovered), and that type of discretion, which only benefits one party in a relationship, is not likely to benefit the relationship as a whole. Sometimes our discretions in one relationship are also indiscretions in another, when a third party is involved. These days it is more common to have both than one would think.
So, when is it wise to be discreet? Someone who goes out and cheats on a spouse or gambles away their paycheck and then returns to their partner with a little white lie is using discretion to benefit themselves yet they are harming the relationship by doing so. However, sometimes discretion is beneficial when two people who mutually agree to share an intimate moment, or a secret not meant for the world to know, do so and what is the harm then?
Mom also said once that "what they don't know, won't hurt 'em" and guess she is right on that one too. Discretion, while is usually only benefits those who have a secret to hide, is still a valid and important part of any relationship and it is the skeletons in the closet that most of us can lay claim to, that are best left in that closet because again, being able to trust each other is sometimes more important than finding out about all those little white lies.
An example of this would be a man who has a wife and a mistress. A discretion with his mistress would be an indiscretion against his wife. Yes?
I guess what it all boils down to is this. When two people form a bond or relationship, they would probably assume that the other party can be trusted to keep all truths discreet even if one or both parties have other associated bonds whom also expect that certain trusts be kept. Is it possible to be discreet in more than one relationship at a time? Well, it all depends on which party in the relationship is doing the answering. In the above example, I suppose a man would have to answer "yes" as would his mistress, who would also benefit from discretion of the indiscretion, but the wife would probably answer "no" and unless discretion is utilized, she is probably on her way to see a divorce attorney. Having been both the wife and the mistress at different times in my life, I truly believe that discretion is as important a part of a relationship as the need to bond, share and relate is.